Why Does the GOP Attack Transgender People?

We are all far too painfully aware that the GOP in the U.S. are doing a “full court press” to attack the trans community right now. There are a record number of anti-trans bills being proposed around the country, as Axios shows. Even in very progressive states we are seeing anti-trans bills being floated. And if one wonders why, in part it’s because the GOP are angry that Trump lost, and in part it is to ensure the satisfaction of the Evangelicals in the upcoming 2024 national elections.

How do Evangelical Christians see things? Orthodox Christians, including Evangelicals, Mormons and Catholics, tend to believe that the translated biblical text they are reading, as it is presented, is the direct or divinely inspired Word of God. As such, it must be read literally without interpretation. Further, it is usually read word by word, verse by verse. Context is not a concern in their reading.

So, let’s consider Gen. 1:27:

God created The Adam in God’s image; in God’s image God created The Adam; male and female God created them.

To me as a Bible Scholar, male AND female represents infinite possibility. Yet to a Christian reading this it represents a fixed binary state. To transgress that state is a sin of corrupting God’s “perfect” creation. This is, in essence, what Pope Francis stated regarding trans children, when he proclaimed that “ideologies that profess children can ‘choose their gender’ constitute the very ‘annihilation of man as image of God.”(1)

But it gets worse. The right wing is displaying downright paranoia right now. We continue to see record numbers of attacks against trans people in the US. As a result of this, some trans activists urge trans people to arm themselves for self-defense.  After the Nashville shooting, where the alleged shooter may have used a male pronoun on a single social media site, the right wing went crazy about trans people killing Christian right wing people. Instead, they should be focusing on the failure of the school system and the mental health care system to properly care for neurodivergent and other marginalized students in the classroom, and to reduce bullying, so students don’t get to the extreme point where they feel shooting is their only recourse. The shooter’s gender had nothing to do with it.

But check out what Tucker Carlson had to say about it: the trans movement is “getting militant and possibly dangerous.”   He alleges that NPR urged trans people to buy guns, stating “The world is dangerous… you have to be dangerous back.” (Of course, this is about trans people protecting ourselves, NOT about being aggressive but aggressive bullies can never understand that.) He continues, “Why are some transpeople so angry, and why do they seem to be mad specifically at traditional Christians?” In this question, he completely shows his ignorance. As he continues his argument, he states he knows of no pastor who has ever murdered a trans person. (2) The reality he is ignoring, however, is the systemic abuse that trans people face at the hands of right-wing pastors, which is why so many trans people have left Christianity, and joined Pagan, Wiccan and Satanic religions.(3)

It is now a felony in some states to provide gender affirming care to minors. The GOP continues to push this hate filled agenda through as many states as they can, leading to the 2024 national elections. The groups who are behind the legislation have very benign names but are actually Evangelical Christian Groups, who have been driving political decisions for many years. I have documented some of these previously, but current groups include Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, the Liberty Counsel and the American Principles Project.

This all sounds so horribly grim, and it is all driven by a corrupted (in my opinion) religious ideology, that comes from a choice of biblical interpretation. So, what can we do about it?  The same thing I’ve been saying for years.  Get out the vote! In 2024, we must absolutely roll back the GOP majority in BOTH houses, and in as many State Houses as possible. This is the only way to change this short of civil war. For the record, I do NOT advocate for war, although I know that many of the younger generations do, and I understand why.

I pray that we will find a way forward, where ALL people will come to understand that ALL people, regardless of their gender identity or presentation, are living as God created us/them, and that to destroy a single one of our lives, as Torah tells us, is as if the entire world is destroyed.

Peace out, Rona

(1) Bradford Richardson, “Pope Francis: Gender ideology is the ‘annihilation of man as image of God,’” The Washington Times, August 2, 2016, Accessed April 24, 2023.’

(2) Tucker Carlson, “TUCKER CARLSON: The trans movement is targeting Christians,” Fox News, March 28, 2023, Accessed April 24, 2023.

(3) Anecdotal evidence from my years of counseling practice.

Tags: featured, politics, spirituality, Transgender

Category: Transgender Opinion